Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1961)

LETTERS (Letters must be signed. Names withheld on request) Blames Hollywood for Slump Enclosed you will find an article* that I agree with as to the cause of our boxoffice depression. On several occasions, I have voiced similar objections and you have printed some of them. Distribution and their sales departments continue to ignore the plight of the small exhibitors. I can assure you and others that the plight of the independent exhibitors is growing more serious every day. Since January 1, 1961, I have been in more theatres over a wider area than any other individual interested in exhibition. Today the theatres in towns of 10,000 population are in the same position the theatres in towns of 2,000 were in two years ago. How long can this last and have production and distribution stay in business? My travels this year have taken me over 60,000 miles from Iowa to Alabama and Mississippi. As you will note, I am now in Arkansas. The problem is the same everywhere and Stewart has put his finger on the blame. AL MYRICK Lake Park, Iowa. *(ED. NOTE: Following are the lead paragraphs of the article referred to, which appeared under the byline of Joseph Finnigan for United Press International News Service. It was headed “Stewart Blames Hollywood for Slump.” James Stewart, a veteran of many years in Hollywood and many movies, said today "You can't blame bad pictures an audiences." In recent years, moviemakers have been complaining about lack of attendance at picture houses, blaming the decline in boxoffice receipts on everything from television to night baseball. But Stewart says much of the responsibility lies right here in Hollywood. "I think the best thing that has happened was Walt Disney paying a dividend," he said. "And, that dividend was on his pictures which you could take the whole family to. That's how this business storted and we got owoy from it. Millions of people went to see those pictures." Stewart onalyzed the movie business and its problems. "I've always been optimistic about this business and I still om," he said. "There had to be a change because we used to have it all to ourselves. About all the people had to do was go to movies for entertainment. Now there are TV and other activities. We had to find our niche in the battle for people's time." In finding that niche, Stewart said, movie producers mode at least one mistake. It's an error that's beginning to haunt Hollywood. "I still think the one ploce we got into triuble was storting to make dirty pictures, or just making films for the big cities," he said. For that reason, Stewart said, many people turned away from pictures and "the family audience was waiting for some place to go." Showmanship in Sound Presentation Many people are saying that Hi-Fi stereo-sound quality in the home is superior to theatre sound presentation. Intelligent and boxofficewise exhibitors know this to be a fact. Too many exhibitors, producers and distributors attempt to camouflage the issue by deliberate ridicule. They say the public does not know the difference. Containment can be dangerous. In this case, it is downgrading America’s medium of entertainment. If the motion picture theatre is to compete with the home, the producers and distributors must face the issue realistically and provide multi channel stereo prints. Multi-channel stereo projection equipment is available. Stereophonic or Hi-Fi presentation is the answer. To substantiate the justifiable criticism being focused on theatre sound presentation, actual references are being made to the current release of printdown 35mm versions of 70mm spectacles. These 35mm versions are reportedly being released in single-channel optical sound only. The tremendous impact of stereo is completely lost and the once multi-million-dollar spectacle is now just another picture. There is no objection to 35mm prints but there is a decided objection to the missing impact of multi-channel stereo-sound presentation. Window dressing with popcorn may be pretty, but nothing can replace showmanship in sound presentation. FRANK E. CAHILL, JR. Vice-President, Century Projector Corp., New York, N, Y. Those Saturday Night Movies on TV I read with interest the editorial “The Best Medium” which appeared in the September 25 issue of Boxoffice. Mr. Schary, of course, did not make any statement that his pictures would remain in the theatre where tfiey belong and, no doubt, in time will find their way to free TV showings, such as the new and better Fox product, which now is being shown Saturday nights coast-to-coast by NBC. In my opinion, this Saturday night deal is going to cause movie theatres plenty of trouble, despite the commercials every ten minutes. Saturday is our prime time and, while we counter back with mention of ombig Cinemascope screens and Hi-Fi sound and all that, is seems that folks are still watching the 21-inch screen plenty. I heard considerable favorable comment while at a local restaurant about the Saturday night offering, and also some comment about the coming attractions. After the picture ended here, NBC put on seven or eight coming attraction trailers of what was coming up, and some of the best movies are planned. It would be interesting to know how much Fox gets from NBC for these films, and whether the amount they get exceeds what the theatres of the country might have paid out in film rental for reissues of the same product. I believe we have much concern about these Saturday night showings of the major Fox product. The commercials are unfortunate; they certainly put movies more in the category of being just there for the purpose of selling something. GEORGIA EXHIBITOR As a Patron Sees It Not being a member of your great industry, the following remarks are given as a true “theatre movie lover.” I sincerely hope all of you theatremen will take time to read this note. During the past few years I have had the great privilege of reading from cover-to-cover your in dustry’s best-read paper: Boxoffice. In recent issues, I have read the comments of some of you exhibitors about TV. Now, I would like to join you with my comments. This last week, I became right down sick when I turned on the TV (the cursed thing) and saw before my very eyes the beautiful CINEMASCOPE picture, “There’s No Business Like Show Business” blurred across that minute, black and blue, wiggling, commercial-infested screen. To think that just a few years before, I had seen this marvelous spectacle on the GIANT, wide theatre screen in blazing COLOR. To tell you the truth, I have been fussing about the movies on TV for years, but I sincerely thought the product would cease to be unmercifully eaten up by the oneeyed monster when, for the most part, all that was left were the Cinemascope productions. In recent weeks, this hope has fallen. The least that should be done, before TV gets its grimy claws on these films, is to have the word “Cinemascope” blocked out. Refraining to do this is, in my opinion, misleading and fraudulent. I would like to know if there is any legal action that could be taken on these grounds. We must remember that there are a lot of people who still do not fully understand what CinemaScope is and, unless the 'TV stations cut the top and bottom off of their puny screens, you theatremen might as well not even advertise Cinemascope. I noticed, on a preview of a coming attraction (for these films on TV), the trouble had been taken to block out the word “Technicolor,” but in giant letters (if they can be giant on that thing) came that famous phrase, “Filmed in Cinemascope” at the end. In closing, as a devoted theatre lover, I make a plea to you to fight a little harder . . . save the people from the terrible sitat-home-and-drink-beer attitude that is engulfing them. I don’t have the answer, maybe you don’t either, but together we can FIND the answer. I hope and pray (and know) the theatre is here to stay — stick with it. Thank you very much for taking your time to read this through. We’ll see ya at the movies ! ! VAN SUMMERILL Ogden, Utah. Canada Filming Increases, Says The Mask' Producer NEW YORK — Production of feature films in Canada is increasing, according to Julian Roffman, who produced and directed “The Mask,” being distributed by Warner Bros., at the International Film Studios in Kleinberg, Ont. The studio has been used mainly for the filming of shorts, TV films and commercials, according to Roffman, but has several sound stages. Earlier, Roffman had produced “The Bloody Brood,” starring Barbara Lord and Jack Betts, at the International Studios. The picture is scheduled to be released by Allied Artists but has been held up because of several lines of dialog praising war. However, the picture has been a success in England and various European countries, he said. For the future, Roffman has two features lined up for filming in Canada, “You Only Live Twice” and “Execution.” Roffman is a former March of Time director, one of whose documentary pictm-es, “And So They Live,” won an Academy Award. 16 BOXOFFICE :: November 6, 1961